The Bonds of Family
by ShadowDragonPhoenix
Summary: An unpleasant fate befalls the Nine Realms, and the Avengers suddenly find themselves in the Afterlife. But why is the Afterlife so different from what they expected, and how did the Aesir end up there too? They meet an old acquaintance they thought they would never see again. How did he get there? And is he responsible for all that happened after New York?


Chapter 1 - Bonds Broken Forever

_Asgard - 15 years ago_

The Throne Room on Asgard resonated with the cacophony that a few hundred noblemen and even more commoners that had packed into the room on the chance to see the humiliation of the disgraced second prince could cause. On his golden throne, Odin stared down the hall towards the entrance doors, a look of smug superiority on his face, waiting for the arrival of the Jotun runt that he had taken in as a political tool to use to control the Jotun. That plan, that had been in the making for more than 2000 years, had been destroyed in just a few days by two disobedient boys that had ruined his carefully laid out plans.

He looked up just as the doors swung in, Thor leading a defeated Loki in by the magic dampening chains he had secured around his wrists, with a tug or two for good measure. He led the fallen prince to the bottom of the dais through the crowd that started to shout accusations and condemnation, heaping insults and vitriol upon the youngest. Loki though, walked through them like a King, as though he was better than all those gathered and that attitude flared the already high tension.

Thor kneeled in front of the throne, bowing to his father and King while his brother remained standing in defiance, throwing the most disgusted look he could towards the man that he no longer considered his king or father. He held his ground and barely moved from the sudden pull from the chains that Thor applied to try and make him kneel before Odin.

At his open display of contempt towards the authority of Asgard, the crowd increased its ire and hate. Odin stood, rapping the butt of Gungnir against the floor to command silence, his glare never wavered from the prisoner in front of him.

"Loki Laufeyson," his voice rung out, and at that little bit of information made public, the crowd gave voice to their disapproval of such a thing being hidden in the royal family. "You have betrayed Asgard and committed heinous crimes against a world under our protection. Your guilt is unquestionable and you have forfeited any rights you once had in Asgard. As such, I have decided upon your punishment, an example for all who would disregard the rule of Asgard."

The entire Hall grew deathly silent, all within waiting for the verdict that would punish the Jotun scum that had tainted their golden realm. Thor looked up towards his father for the first time, silently questioning what Odin could have decided for him to introduce the fated punishment in that cold, unfeeling tone.

"As your crimes were great and terrible, so shall your punishment be great and lasting. You shall face the whip master for 1000 lashes for your crimes against Midgard. For your crimes against Asgard and your lies about being Aesir and claiming rights only gifted to those of our eternal realm, you will be stripped of your magic and your tongue. You are _nithing_, unworthy of any of the rights and protections of the Aesir and your freedom is forfeit. To teach you your place, a place befitting an _ergi_ and known _argr_, you will be marked a slave to give pleasure and to serve your betters, and given to the barracks to do as they wish for the next 5000 years. Once you have served your time as a pleasure slave, you will be sent back to your birth realm to do as you will," Odin finished with a smug and satisfied look. He had finally ridden himself of a troublesome problem, and soon, it would learn its place and suffer for its presumptions that it was wanted in his kingdom.

As the crowd made known their approval of Odin's method to ensure the Jotun learnt its place under the Aesir, Loki kept an eye on Thor's reaction to his father's judgement. He saw him lower his head to hide his expression, but apart from his hands clenching around the chains he still held, there was no other reaction or protest from one who kept claiming brotherhood.

"Are there any here who would speak on behalf of this slave?" Odin called out, glancing quickly over the ecstatic crowd, at the warriors who were jeering and taunting the newly made slave with what they were going to do to him, before glancing at his only son. "Thor? Do you have anything to say?"

Thor looked up, and then turned his gaze to the man beside him. "This is your just punishment, Loki. Perform well in your servitude and once you have given back to Asgard all that you have taken unjustly, you can rebuild your life in Jotunheim, far away from us here," he commented. He knew though, that 5000 years as a bed slave, to be taken by any Aesir warrior who wished to rape a Jotun runt, would break even Loki's defiant spirit, not to mention that the lashes would permanently mutilate him to the point where he would have difficulty moving. It would be doubtful that he would ever have the full use of his limbs and body after such a punishment. He would also be an old man, around Odin's age now, by the time they sent him to a desolate and dying realm.

Suddenly, cutting through the cacophony of sound swirling throughout the Hall, chuckling began. Growing louder before Loki was practically doubled over with laughter, the muzzle doing nothing to stifle the sound. Everyone fell silent and looked towards the prisoner, wondering what he was up to now.

In a blinding flash of green light the chains and muzzle shattered in a sparkling fall of metal, Loki standing tall and proud, in full armour and glittering horns. Green fire and magical energy swirled around him in a brilliant display of pure power.

He laughed in contempt as Odin tried to use Gungnir against him, the golden fire striking out at the barrier that surrounded him, bouncing off to strike three noblemen standing to the side, cutting them in half. Thor launched himself at Loki, swinging out with Miljnor and screaming at him to stop. Loki flicked a hand at him and pinned him to the floor like a bug on a windshield.

"Loki," Thor strained to get out, the pressure being applied to him threatened to crush his lungs. "What are you doing? You must submit to your just punishment, even if I have to make you," struggling to move but failing completely. Why couldn't Loki just do as expected of him and serve as a slave until he was granted his freedom, why did he always have to defy Father and ruin Asgards image before all the realms.

As he watched, unable to continue pleading with the younger man, the fiery energy flared even brighter. The pressure wave this caused pushed the Aesir back a few paces before they found their balance, and knocked Odin back onto his throne.

"I think not," Loki giggled, spreading his arms wide and twirling before his stunned audience. "You think you can just dictate my life, ruin it at your leisure and in any way you wish. Did you really think that I would allow you to continue to lie to protect yourself and to ruin me?" he taunted his once father.

"How _dare_ you, you filthy _nithing_!" Odin roared, trying to push through the force that was keeping him pinned to his own throne.

"Oh, I dare, Odin!" Loki spat, "It was you that took me from Jotunheim the last day of the war, when I was but a few hours old. You saw that I was the son of Laufey, and you thought you could use me to take control of the Frost Giants. It was you that never told me what I was, who allowed me to believe that I was a true Aesir"

He whirled around to face the gathered crowd with a shark-like grin. "That's right, you simpering worms. Your all-so perfect King is the one who lied to you for the past 2000 years and hid the fact that you all kept company with a Jotun."

"Odin All-Liar," Loki stated as he turned back to the throne. "You shall never command me, and I, Loki, Prince and King or Asgard, shall make you pay for all those years of pain and loneliness that you forced upon me," he snarled.

"Oh, and who do you think you will do that, _slave_?" the smugness practically rolling off his tone as Odin glared down from his seat.

"Like _this_!" Light suddenly exploded from Loki, blinding in its intensity, streaming out to every corner of the Hall. It built slowly, a deep resonate chord joining in, growing louder as the light grew. "I _will_ have my revenge!"

The crowd screamed and fled towards the exits, pushing and shoving to get out first. Loki sneered at this confirmation that Aesir bravery and honour was truly all just talk, as he continued to build the magic that sang within him.

Odin tried again to strike him with Gungnir and once again it rebounded into those around them. Loki ignored it all, Odin cursing him, Thor screaming at him to stop and the complete disarray of the Aesir surrounding them.

OoOoO

Then, with a final flare of the most brilliant light, the world _cracked_.

OoOoO

With a viscous scream, the entire palace split at the seams, a gaping chasm opening up underneath and heading straight through the realm itself. People were frantically trying to get out of the way, trampling those in front or getting crushed by falling debris. No few were lost into the void that was slowly spreading out into the surrounding city.

Thor shrieked as the ground beneath him gave way, but fortunately for him that meant that the force keeping him pinned was gone and he was able to use Miljnor to escape the fate that falling into the void would bring. He quickly cleared the edges of the chasm and was dismayed at how quickly it was eating through the land. That's when he realized, that with the palace being consumed, his mother had no way out and it was all up to him.

With an ear-splitting crash, one whole side of the palace collapsed into the chasm, causing a secondary tear to split off and branch into the city, heading quickly out to the sea edge. The Allfather was thrown of his perch and sprawled gracelessly on the floor, buffeted by the waves of raw power that were coming off of the one he once called son.

When he glanced up, the first thing he saw was his throne, shattering into thousands of pieces and being swept away in a whirlwind of light and fire. Glancing a maelstrom of blinding power just in front of him, he turned to Loki to try and decipher how he was generating such powerful energy levels.

Odin pushed himself up, bracing against the buffeting winds and once again gathered the Magic of Asgard. He threw it at Loki, attempting to seal his magic and stop the chaos and destruction he was raining down on them, but once again, it simply rebounded but this time he didn't anticipate it striking him so quickly that he did not have time to dodge.

He screamed as white hot agony lanced through him, burning right through to his core. His own seal had been turned on him and was even now burning all traces of magic from him and would soon irreparably burn out his core. The agony built up to unbearable levels as he lost all the magic he commanded in the worst way known, the way he had intended to strip Loki's as punishment for defying him.

Loki looked about him for the last time, witnessing the irony of the Allfather felled by the spell that had been intended for him. With one last joyous smile, he turned his own life energy into magic to fuel the explosion that would ensure his revenge on the realm that had mistreated him for so long and secure his victory over those who thought themselves his betters.

And with one last blast of green fire and magic, Asgard vanished in an explosion that ripped apart anything it touched.


End file.
